2010 Abu Dhabi GP Practice, Qualifying and Race Discussion

[Brogan]

Saw this on the Ferrari site:

There are some pundits in the sport who believe that when a championship is going down to the wire at the final race, then even if you are fighting one of the contenders for the title for a place in the race, you let him by. This was evidently not something that Petrov believed in and, well within the sporting regulations, he defended his position to the end.

I don't recall them making a similar statement when Hamilton had to fight his way to 5th in Brazil 2008...

 

[FB]

I think this is described a "damning with faint praise"...

Saw a thread in "another place" which said something along the lines of "Well done Fernando Alonso for waiving to Vitaly Petrov at the end of the race to congratulate him on doing such a good job". Made me chuckle

 

[ZakspeedYakspeed]

Well deserved title to Vettel, excellent season all round. Would have been a little more interesting if Kobayashi hadn't sprayed it wide on turn one as SV emerged from the pit tunnel...and credit to KK as well for not launching a wild pass on SV into turn 3 or 4...

I swear that Alguesari let MW through after a few laps post MW pitstop... MW couldn't get near him under brakes at the end of the back straight...and on the lap that he did pass him, MW was at least 4-5 car lengths back, and JA appeared to brake a bit early and move out of the way...

Never discount a driver racing for a contract... I would have lost a lot of money had someone wagered me that Petrov wouldn't be visiting the armco fairy at some point in 40 laps with Alonso all over him...

 

[Grizzly]

Yeah, I think on Sunday Vettel and Webber had 4 extra team mates...

Never discount a driver racing for a contract... I would have lost a lot of money had someone wagered me that Petrov wouldn't be visiting the armco fairy at some point in 40 laps with Alonso all over him...

 

[ZakspeedYakspeed]

Saw this on the Ferrari site:

There are some pundits in the sport who believe that when a championship is going down to the wire at the final race, then even if you are fighting one of the contenders for the title for a place in the race, you let him by. This was evidently not something that Petrov believed in and, well within the sporting regulations, he defended his position to the end.

I don't recall them making a similar statement when Hamilton had to fight his way to 5th in Brazil 2008...

I think this might a pre-emptive bid to avoid the news headline:

"Russian F1 driver hospitalized crossing road"

Vitaly Petrov, Russian F1 driver for the Renault factory team was apparently run down crossing a Moscow street early today. Witnesses say a red Ferrari, parked nearby had accelerated hard when Petrov stepped onto a street crossing near his apartment, striking Petrov side-on punting him over the car onto the road. The condition of Petrov is listed as stable, and injuries are unknown at this point. A description of the driver was posted as a man, black hair, big smile and Alessandro del Piero side burns circa 2004".

 

[teabagyokel]

There are some pundits in the sport who believe that when a championship is going down to the wire at the final race, then even if you are fighting one of the contenders for the title for a place in the race, you let him by. This was evidently not something that Petrov believed in and, well within the sporting regulations, he defended his position to the end.

That is not something that Petrov believed in. Not something that Felipe Massa believed in when he led Alonso home at the 2006 Brazilian Grand Prix.

Who the hell believes that? Did they not notice that half the pundits didn't believe Massa should have moved over for Alonso in Germany, and just because Alonso is used to the Renault #2 jumping into a wall at night whenever he finds it convenient, that doesn't mean he should do so.

The essential point is, that if that 'unwritten'* rule was followed, then there wouldn't be a title race if anyone was significantly clear. And I don't think Ferrari were complaining when Lewis Hamilton finished 7th in Brazil behind Nico Rosberg, Robert Kubica and the latter's team-mate to lose the title, were they?

It seems Ferrari's moral code is drawn up on the spot by some petulant child‘, who believes it is his right to change the rules if they don't win the game’. They are so myopic they make Arséne Wenger look like the doyen of honesty, and they basically need to, as Martin Brundle said after the race: "Get real!"

*Because it is made up
‘Named Fernando
’Which, for a while, it was

 

[Wombcat]

Actually what they (Ferrari) are saying here is that there are people who think that non-championship-contenders should get out of the way, but that Petrov didn't think so, and that he was entirely in his right to think so.

They don't say that they (Ferrari) think that he should have gotten out of the way!

 

[teabagyokel]

Actually what they (Ferrari) are saying here is that there are people who think that non-championship-contenders should get out of the way, but that Petrov didn't think so, and that he was entirely in his right to think so.

They don't say that they (Ferrari) think that he should have gotten out of the way!

No, they wouldn't be that unsubtle. They didn't actually say "Felipe, get out of the bloody way", did they?

The publication of this statement, that some pundits think this, Petrov doesn't and IT IS WITHIN THE RULES.



What it does not say is that Ferrari think he was right to do so, and publishing this peace of drivel (considering no-one has expressed the 'some pundits' view) implies that Ferrari believe this but don't want to point the finger.

 

[Wombcat]

No, they wouldn't be that unsubtle. They didn't actually say "Felipe, get out of the bloody way", did they?

The publication of this statement, that some pundits think this, Petrov doesn't and IT IS WITHIN THE RULES.



What it does not say is that Ferrari think he was right to do so, and publishing this peace of drivel (considering no-one has expressed the 'some pundits' view) implies that Ferrari believe this but don't want to point the finger.

No, it doesn't necessarily imply that. That's your interpretation of their words.
It might just as well mean that there are people (Alonso-fans and/or Ferrarifans) who thought that Petrov should have gotten out of the way, and that they don't agree with it.
And I've seen comments on the net of people who did think that Petrov should have gotten out of the way. So they are out there.

 

[teabagyokel]

If they're not implying that they agreed, there is no point publishing that line. All they would need to do was congratulate Petrov on a good race and Vettel on a good year.

 

[fat jez]

I've split the posts discussing circuits into this thread, as it was veering off topic.